Merging the Past with the Present

A new hometown restaurant/bar that plans to specialize in craft beers, cocktails and wine is taking shape in the downtown building that once housed Charlie’s Pastry Shop and is now owned by Lake Edge LLC.

Primary owner/operator Jacob Poeppelman of Celina hopes to debut The Anchor at 109 S. Main St. this summer, with operations to reach full swing in late summer.

“Our focus is to get the downtown rolling,” Poeppelman, 29, told the newspaper. “Anything we can do to get people downtown, the better.”

On The Inside

The Anchor will put a premium on handcrafted foods, a perpetually rotating line of craft beers from all corners and handmade cocktails. “We want to use fresh ingredients for all the cocktails — fresh fruit, fresh herbs,” Poeppelman said. “We’re also going to have a large variety of bourbons.”

The Anchor will feature 14 craft beers on tap at a time running the gamut from Pilsners to Belgian sour ales. On the food side, The Anchor will serve a full-line of sandwiches, sides and unique appetizers.

“We’re also going to have a spot on the back patio where we will actually bring in food trucks from around the state, and they will come and they can serve food,” he said.

The Anchor likely would be staffed by four full-time and up to 10 part-time employees. “The most important thing to me is an attentive and well-informed staff so they really know what is going on with everything — where the food comes from, how the drinks are made,” he said.

The building is undergoing renovations led by Lake Edge LLC owners Cody and Sarah Muhlenkamp, who say they are dedicated to revitalizing the city’s historic downtown to spur the local economy and cultural growth.